In a few years, no matter where you live or travel, your face will likely be your new passport.
For centuries, people have used some form of passport when traveling from place to place. But widespread standardization of passports as we know them today really began only then. World War 1when passports are often used as a security measure and to prevent spies from entering a country. Even then, some consideration Passport becomes “an anachronism in the modern world”.
But the use of paper passports—a first was digitized into “Electronic Passport” with NFC chip in 2006—is slowly undergoing one of its biggest transformations to date. The travel industry, airports and governments are working to eliminate the need to show your passport when flying internationally. Finally, you may not need to carry your passport anymore.
Instead, facial recognition technology and smartphones are increasingly being used to check and confirm your identity against travel information before you can fly. Proponents claim that these systems can reduce the wait times and “friction” you experience at airports. However, privacy experts warn that there is little transparency about the technologies being deployed and that their proliferation could lead to data breaches and higher levels of surveillance.
The push to eliminate paper passports is happening around the world. To date, airports in Finland, CanadaNetherlands, United Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom, IDEAUSA, Indiaand others are testing various levels of passport-free travel or the technology needed to make it happen. In October, officials in Singapore announced that its residents can fly in and out of the country without using their documents, and foreign visitors can “enjoy the convenience of passport-free customs clearance when they leave Singapore.” ”. Officials claim more than 1.5 million people have used the system.
“As I understand it, it will probably become a popular travel method in the near future.” types of tourism. Ioannou said the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated contactless travel and many efforts are driven by trying to get passengers moving quickly through airports.
Although trials around the world are at different stages and use different technical infrastructure, they generally work in similar ways: Information is previously stored in the device's NFC chip. Your passport, including facial data, is instead stored digitally and linked to your phone. The EU is planning to build one Official travel app because of this. When you're at the airport, your phone can be displayed and a facial recognition camera will try to match you to your passport photo.